Showing posts with label John Podhoretz. Show all posts
Showing posts with label John Podhoretz. Show all posts

Friday, October 27, 2023

That Beastie Boys Song Was Not Supposed To Be "No Jews In Brooklyn"

 


John Podhoretz is finding out that elections have consequences. Maybe Trump was not so bad, afterall.

I doubt Ukraine or this Hamas attack may have even happened if Trump was president now. 



AoSHQ: Woke, Vile Cornell, and Morning Report 10.27.23

Legal Insurrection: Shani Louk confirmed dead

I share John's outrage below.  

Wednesday, March 20, 2019

John Podhoretz was banned by Twitter, but has apparently opened a new account! Take that @Jack! Update: Podhoretz grovels to Twitter


Mark Steyn: Courting and CurlingCalling Out Around The World, and Beto Goes Bovine

TOM: Ace Destroys 'Retard' AOC  and In The Mailbox 03.21.19

Thursday, November 29, 2018

When you realize a lot NeverTrumpers are looking for money from the left, it all makes sense...


Breitbart: NeverTrumpers Crash and Burn (from last December)

There is a spectrum to political beliefs and animus to Donald Trump. Jonah Goldberg, who tries to walk a line of being a conservative yet continually critical of President Trump, takes down Max Boot, the latest MeaCulpaCon. What can you say, other than pass the popcorn and good riddance. Maybe Max is hoping to land a gig like Jen Rubin or get a lefty sugar daddy like Bill Kristol.  

Ace calling bullshit on them all. I've noticed this too and he is not holding back. You wonder how Jen Rubin, Bill Kristol, and now Max Boot can survive on the far left end of the spectrum, but when you accept they are just shameless opportunists looking for funding to malign the right it all makes sense.  They are mostly preaching to the left now anyway. They are an inconsequential back eddy.  

Ben Shapiro, Erick Erickson, Jonah Goldberg, even John Podorhetz and David French on a good day, are not quite the same as the die hard NeverTrumpers. They haven't totally abandoned their principles, but they just want to be able to say 'I told you so.' That is such an annoying character flaw.  

Trump is not going to be around for ever. It is not that Trump brings a political ideology to the fight, just a different way of fighting back with the media and Democrats. It is a mixed bag. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. I certainly don't agree with everything Donald Trump says or does, but there is a lot to be said for fighting back.  It is what Andrew Breitbart used to do. I am not suggesting everyone on the right needs to be a Trump Cheerleader, but Conservatives and Republicans would be wise to push back against the left rather than trying to appease it.  

I also thank God every day that Hillary Clinton did not win in 2016. 




TOM: Ace vs. ‘Non-Binary Ben’What David French Won’t Say, and National Review’s ‘Pro-Family’ Writer @xan_desanctis Insults Dennis Prager

Thursday, July 12, 2018

Be respectful: These "conservatives" are in the process of transitioning!



This pretty much sums it up...but all they have left are gigs as RealConservatives with the media

You know, like David Frum, Joe Scarborough, and Ana Navarro

EBL: I am sure the President and GOP are full of dread over these three, The Three NeverTrumper Babies, Late Night with NeverTrumpers, Jen "Mad Dog" Rubin, and The 1960 film that strangely captures the mood of Democrats this week








American Thinker: NeverTrump: Just go away



PCP/Woodsterman: GOLDENHAIR

Don Surber: Strzok Out




Friday, December 22, 2017

#NeverTrump: Maybe it is time to admit they were more wrong than right?



This National Review Against Trump edition came out in the primaries. While I disagree with the overall take of that edition, there was reason to have concerns Donald Trump was not what he purported to be. I get that.  

I initially supported Ted Cruz myself. I did not think Trump would win the nomination, let alone the general election. I was depressingly resigned to Hillary Clinton becoming president, who I loathed. Beyond her victory being a political disaster for conservatives, I was sure the outcome for the country would have been terrible. Hillary Clinton is a terrible person. 

But that is not what happened on November 8, 2016. Trump won.

I was excited because Hillary Clinton lost. I still had low expectations. If we got rid of Obamacare and got a decent conservative into the Supreme Court to replace Scalia, we were way ahead of where we would have been.  

I would have loved to have seen Obamacare repealed outright. Unfortunately I forgot that repealing entitlements is very difficult once they are implemented (thanks John Roberts). Without 50 Senate votes for repeal it wasn't going to happen. That is not Donald Trump's fault.  

So we have had a year of Donald Trump. Guess what, it has been mostly a conservative success. In a way, the failure of the Obamacare reform turned out ok, since getting rid of the Obamacare mandate is cleaner. The GOP Tax reform is far from perfect, but it was better than what was there. Roger Simon is right, maybe it is time for #NeverTrumpers to apologize?  

This is less about "I told you so" (especially for me because I did not tell you so), than political reality. I greatly appreciate the successes so far. Granted they are modest and the result of compromises in Senate and House, but they are successes. All conservatives lose if the House and Senate are taken by the Democrats in the midterms.  We should be working to stop that from happening and encouraging Trump promote policies we support.  

So when I see John Podhoretz get giddy over a predictive blue wave, I have to ask: Other than pointing out the threat, what are you doing to stop it?  Constructive criticism is fine, but a lot of Trump's critics are more about virtue signaling. Here's another tip, Nicole Wallace is not a conservative.   

I am not suggesting we all wear MAGA hats and cheer everything Trump does (God knows Trump has made mistakes), but how about praising him when he does well? One thing Trump is not lacking is criticism. Part of the reason Trump is at 38% approval (at least according to the polls) is he is hammered every day by the media. What is galling about NeverTrumpers (at least from my observation) is their constant dog piling on Trump.  

And to be fair, National Review has over the last year praised Donald Trump for some his successes. Rich Lowry admitted that 2017 was a pretty good year.  There is a lot of good to appreciate. The recent calling out of Jennifer Rubin was also welcomed. National Review has changed over the past year. But perhaps it is time to do a follow up to "Against Trump" and admit that many of those conservative commentators were wrong (at least in part)? Are they big enough to admit they were wrong?  

The risk in 2018 is real, so how do we stop it John?  


2017 wasn't perfect, but it turned out okay. Let's all work going forward to making 2018 even better.  


Jonah, your beer is half full and you can add all the condiments you want...

You can use your tax refund to buy some pants!


Bill Kristol will never admit he is wrong, but maybe Jonah might...

Roger Simon: Horowitz was right about Bill Kristol



Friday, January 27, 2017

March for Life 2017





Donald Trump is hardly perfect, but as Ace notes, he is willing to take the media on over their own biases in a way none of us have ever seen. And that is something to be thankful for. And Vice President Mike Pence is the highest ranked politician ever to attend this march (and this is not mere posing, since Pence has a long history of attending before today).  

So while the left spins itself into butter, the right needs to focus on the opportunity right in front of us. I'm quickly getting tired of conservative pundits like Kevin Williamson and John Podhortez lecturing us. I generally like Kevin and John, but they are not being objective (perhaps they need a White Russian, and no not some pale prostitute in a Moscow hotel). As a former #NeverTrumper Erick Erickson notes, there is a lot to be thankful for. And it's week one. 

With all due respect Kevin, you state "[i]f the Right gets a couple of good Supreme Court justices, corporate-tax reform, and some meaningful regulatory relief, we can call that a win." Really? Try to control your enthusiasm. Pause a second and then think what that really means. That would be an awesome victory. Think of what could have been if Hillary Clinton won (an alternative dystopian future I thought we would be heading into on the morning of November 8). Trump will also likely appoint half the federal bench during his first term. For me, it's been a little Christmas morning every day since.

When Trump screws up (and he will) then you critics can say something. Until then, I am going to enjoy the winning and encourage the Trump Administration to do more positive things.

Monday, November 28, 2016

Do you need some Cyber Monday gift ideas?

The Hillary one makes your coffee taste like the bitter ashes of defeat.

They are over priced. Still, you can keep a set of as a celebratory reminder of what could have been (unless of course Jill Stein manages to overturn the result or they threaten enough electoral voters or she manages to rise from the dead). Or you could just have a set to give to your favorite grieving Hillary supporter. Just doctor that coffee with a lot of Irish whiskey or bourbon and presto, therapy coffee!


NRO: Hillary 2020: Because America Has Not Suffered Enough

Does she need a Bill mug to drink her champagne?

Mark Steyn: Why not toast the death of Fidel with a Hillary mug?

TOM: Do you know any little old liberal white ladies?  They might like a mug...

AoSHQ: This would be a good line for Groot in the next Guardians of the Galaxy movie...

Instapundit: Kevin Williamson: Tough Times!It is not easy living in an alternative universe, Castro's alternative universe was not so bad for himDo you think Lefty mental health was that good to begin with? , Teachable Moment,  and Progressives Without Power

Rush Limbaugh: Media and Democrat attempt to de-legitimize Trump, One Reason to Pick a Secretary of State, The Left's Lionization of Fidel Castro is Sick

Lem's Place: A column by Kevin Dowd and Trump Cat and Mouses With The Media


Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Which Game of Thrones Character is Donald Trump most like?


This question was partially addressed in Winter is Trumping:

Making Westeros Great Again!

There is no easy answer to this, you can see elements of Donald Trump's personality in a variety of Game of Thrones characters.

Separated at Birth: Walder Frey of Twin Towers vs. Donald Trump of Trump Towers

Trump does have a Tywin Lannister thing going...

Trump also a bit like Alliser Thorne

But there is an obvious choice:

Separated at Birth: Short Fingered Vulgarian vs Littlefinger? Oh yeah...

The same is true for Hillary. She certainly has some Cersie issues going (and the actor who plays Cersie is throwing her support to Hillary, or at least her opposition to the Donald) and and Red Witch comes immediately to mind too:



I am a big fan of Diana Riggs' character on GoT but she is not Hillary (the character Olenna Tyrell is also way smarter than Hillary)

Wednesday, April 20, 2016

He'll Take Manhattan, The Bronx, and Staten Island too...



A decent speech.  Ok, a bit light on policy particulars, but presidential and he is referring to Senator Cruz and Governor Kasich. This was a big night for Trump.  


Any excuse to play Ella singing this great Rodgers and Hart song...

Donald Trump is obviously worried about Cruz wracking up delegates. Donald's of course for voting for delegates, except when it benefits him to get delegates without voting. Still, he should be worried. While Senator Ted cannot get the nomination on the first vote at the convention, it is not guaranteed Trump will clinch on the first vote (although he still has a shot given his victory last night).  If even if that happens and it goes to a contested convention, will Ted Cruz manage to get enough votes on the second or third ballot to take the nomination?  

Cruz is running a tight, disciplined campaign focused on maximizing his delegate count through mastery of the rules governing delegates at the state level. But he’s running a mediocre campaign when it comes to winning over masses of voters.
I am supporting Ted Cruz. But I know a lot of people who are having difficulty warming to him as a candidate. That is not good for a guy who has to not only win the nomination (at a contested convention) but then unify the party against Hillary Clinton. If Trump does similarly well in the Middle Atlantic states as he did last night, how does that play out in California to come?  Especially if Trump does really well in Pennsylvania?

Kasich just remains odd.  Kasich actually won Manhattan (despite my headline above). But he is not working to win delegates so what does Kasich really offer (other than as a potential vice president)?

Instapundit: Funny how things always seem to break Hillary's way...

Wombat: JWF: Trump's "Voterless" Election Myth


EBL: My Rx for last night was spot on and you might need some of that hot sauce for that Bloody Mary this morning! and Whoever wrote this line for Ted should be fired!

Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Hillary Hypocrisy

Smitty: A Village Is Visited By An Idiot

And it is a wee bit early to be despairing John. A certain candidate has problems of her own. At the state level it's not that bad. But after all of that if you are still feeling stressed: Have a Drink (better make it a double)!

If you want to know why certain candidates get traction, look at the behavior of some of the incumbents. Still, don't give up the fight. We only have one planet country to fight for.

EBL: Separated at Birth: Bill Clinton and...?


Instapundit/Ed Driscoll: Bill and Hillary Clinton's destruction of Monica Lewinsky, Hillary's upside down reforms, and what Carly would do
Rush Limbaugh: Hillary is so bad Obama's talking about running and Paglia nails it on Clinton
Hogewash: Carbon footprints are for little people

Sunday, February 15, 2015

Saturday, April 12, 2014

Hillary Clinton: Why she should be President based on her tenure as Secretary of State

Benghazi? 
How the Conservative Media allows the rest of the Media to ignore and isolate scandals (such as Benghazi). Hillary hopes to ride in on Bill and Barack's coat tails (what a way to break that glass ceiling).

How hubris can sink the Democrats (hubris however is an affliction that Republicans have plenty of too, just that they are somewhat out of power right now so it is temporarily in check).

Update:
Hillary cancels an event and dodges Benghazi victim mom and other protesters...
TOM: Kook Nation! Is that throwing a shoe at Hillary Clinton or thinking of electing Hillary as President of the United States?
BSC News: Kook shoe thrower!
A tale of two shoe throwers (Bush vs. Clinton: differences in how the stories are reported)

Friday, January 27, 2012

A Republican candidate and his establishment GOP supporters chase Newt Gingrich...

Déjà vu 

"The creature was a party of boys, marching..."

Prior Posts:  
What goes around comes around... (Do you remember what Newt was doing just a few weeks ago?)
Romney claims Newt was not a Reagan supporter...  (Mitt obviously took Smitty's advice...a bit too much)

The Conservative Choice:

This has become an interesting topic — especially now that I see support among many of our conservative opinion leaders moving toward Romney — even as many of these same opinion leaders took Santorum’s side during the Schiavo debate. Suddenly, however, they seem to fear Santorum as a religious social engineer, so much so that they’re beginning to throw their weight behind a candidate who is both the architect of ObamaCare (and frankly, is unlikely to repeal it) and has ties to the Wall Street culture the left (and even some TEA Party types concerned with cronyism) has set-up as a caricature they will play a role in the 2012 elections.  I am not a social conservative — as Rachel herself seems to know. I am no less a classical liberal now than I’ve been all along. But from what I can tell, and I’ve been arguing this for a very long time now, dating back to my open disdain for the Trent Lotts of the GOP, the biggest danger to our foundational principles, outside of direct assault from the left, is a right that comes to power as the putative corrective, and then simply reinforces the ways of the establishment.
Think about it.  
Update:   More Jeff Goldstein:
Gingrich’s (and Perry’s) attacks on Romney’s private equity work at Bain brought them jeers not just from Romney Republicans but from conservatives, as well. And so the organized attacks on Gingrich — and there’s no doubt from where they’re coming — shouldn’t be brushed aside as somehow “not surprising” and therefore palatable.
Update II:  Sister Toldjah 

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Some Republican candidates and their supporters chase Mitt Romney...

"The creature was a party of boys, marching..."

Michelle Malkin (Frenemies)
Rush Limbaugh (goes nuclear over Bain attacks)
John Podhoretz (weakest-strongest GOP candidate ever?)
Jonah Goldberg (Thanks Rick Perry...)
Newt anti-capitalist?
Vodkapundit: It's a madhouse...
Rush advises that conservatives push our candidates to the right...


Kudos:  Rick Santorum refuses to join with the other boys...
              Rick Santorum distances himself from Newt's lefty attack...


Dan Riehl says Mitt Romney had it coming to him...


Jeff Goldstein points blame at the GOP Establishment (the bigger problem we are facing)...
Why Mitt Romney is not Gordon Gecko.


Update:  Newt Gingrich says on Sean Hannity in December 2011: Mitt was a good manager at Bain! (around 6:20)  Boy the difference a couple of weeks makes.


Update II:     Rush says Newt Gingrich sounds like Elizabeth Warren
Update III:   Hannity says Rick Perry sounds like he is from Occupy Wall Street
Update IV:    WSJ: Romney has a good story on Bain if he is willing to tell it.


Update V:      Newt changes (again) and says going after Mitt and Bain was a mistake on his part.
Update VI:     Newt and Perry might have "sealed this all up for the Romster."   And here's Ace's next fear:  "That this film makes Romney unelectable, and Perry and Gingrich have made themselves unelectable by pushing it."
Update VII:          The Other McCain:  Republican Party is depraved and decadent...
Update VIII:          Ace reminds us that he is "smaaaahhhht."
Update IX:             Professor Bainbrige's Moderate Republican Romneyphobe Take
                                 Professor Bainbridge on Romney's Firing Practices
Update X:               Roger Simon (the Pajama Media one) rejects Newt


Wee Man Update:   Wee Man Robert Reich and the Bain of Capitalism...